Apparatus for and method of packaging endless belts

ABSTRACT

A TUBULAR SLEEVE IS HELD OPEN AT A PACKAGING STATION AND AN ENDLESS BELT IS PACKAGED THEREIN BY PROVIDING AN ACTUATOR HAVING A ROD WHICH IS SUPPORTED FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENTS UN A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTILINEAR PATH AND THE ROD HAS HOOK MEANS AT ITS TERMINAL END WHICH IS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE ENDLESS BELT. THE ACTUATOR OPERATES TO EXTEND ITS ROD THROUGH THE OPEN SLEEVE ENABLING HOOKING THE BELT ON THE HOOKS MEANS AND THEN RETRACTS THE ROD TO PULL THE BELT THE REQUIRED DISTANCE THROUGH THE SLEEVE.

1971 E- J. GOLDS'BERRY 3,619,966

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PACKAGING ENDLESS BELTS Filed May 5, 1970 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T Q u.

INVENTOR EUGENE J. GOLDSBERRY BY Mam M ATTO RNEY 1971 Y E. J. GOLDSBERRY ,61

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PACKAGING ENDLESS BELTS Filed May 5, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-2 INVENTOR EUGENE J. GOLDSBERRY BY Maw/m ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,619,966 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 3,619,966 APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PACKAGING ENDLESS BELTS Eugene J. Goldsberry, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Dayco Corporation, Dayton, Ohio Filed May 5, 1970, Ser. No. 34,676 Int. Cl. B65b /04, 25/24 US. Cl. 53-3 19 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tubular sleeve is held open at a packaging station and an endless belt is packaged therein by providing an actuator having a rod which is supported for reciprocating movements in a substantially rectilinear path and the rod has hook means at its terminal end which is adapted to engage the endless belt. The actuator operates to extend its rod through the open sleeve enabling hooking the belt on the hook means and then retracts the rod to pull the belt the required distance through the sleeve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Endless belt-like articles such as V-belts which are made of elastomeric materials, for example, are packaged in numerous ways for transportation, storage, and display for sale. One technique which is employed is to provide a sleeve-like wrapper which is placed around the V-belt and serves to confine opposed sides of such belt so that it assumes a substantially oval configuration of narrow width and substantial length whereby the V-belt occupies a smaller amount of space and may be hooked on an associated hook for display with the sleeve-like wrapper providing identification, pricing, advertising, etc. Heretofore, most V-belts have been packaged by hand by either holding a sleeve open and then pushing an associated V-belt therethrough while holding the belt compressed in an oblong configuration or holding the V-belt compressed and then forming a sleeve therearound by fastening together opposite ends of a rectangular sheet whereby these techniques are time consuming and add to the overall cost of each V-belt which is packaged by hand.

SUMMARY This invent-ion provides an improved apparatus for and method of packaging V-belts which enables substantially automatic packaging in an efficient high speed manner by utilizing an actuator comprising a rod which is supported for reciprocating movement in a rectilinear path at a packaging station. The rod has hook means provided at its terminal end portion and the actuator operates to extend its rod through the preformed sleeve which is held open at the packaging station enabling hooking of an associated belt on the hook means. The actuator then retracts such rod to pull the associated belt the required distance through the sleeve.

Other details, uses, and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the following description of the exemplary embodiments thereof presented in the accompanying drawings proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings show present exemplary embodiments of this invention, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view with certain parts shown schematically and other parts broken away illustrating one exemplary embodiment of the apparatus and method of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view with parts in elevation and parts broken away particularly illustrating the action of holding means or members in moving flattened sleeves from an associated rack assembly at a sleeve infeed station and the manner in which a set of holding members cooperate with cam means at a packaging station to erect or open an associated preassembled sleeve to enable insertion of a belt therein;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view particularly illustrating a cam device used to automatically release a belt once it has been inserted in an associated sleeve and showing the action of an inclined cam surface on such. device at the beginning of the camming movement;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view particularly illustrating the action of the cam device during the final increment of the retracting movement of the rod where belt release takes place; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating an apparatus which may be used to automatically feed belts at the packaging station.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS Reference is now made to FIG. 1 of the drawings which illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the apparatus and method of this invention which is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The apparatus 10' comprises a supporting structure 11 which has a pair of substantially identical sprocket wheel assembiles 12 mounted at opposite ends thereof and each assembly 12 has a shaft 13 which is supported for rotation in suitable antifriction bearings provided on the supporting structure 11 and has a pair of parallel spaced apart sprocket wheels fixed to the shaft 13 in spaced parallel relation. The sprocket wheel assembly 12 at one end of the apparatus 10, shown at the right end in FIG. 1, will be referred to as a driving assembly and has an extension shaft portion 14 extending from its shaft 13 which is operatively connected to a drive mechanism 15 which will be described subsequently.

The apparatus 10 has an endless conveyor in the form of a chain conveyor assembly 16 comprised of two endless chain conveyors 17 and each chain conveyor 17 is intermeshed with teeth provided on associated sprocket wheels 12A of the Wheel assemblies 12 supported at opposite ends of the structure 11. Thus, upon driving the driving sprocket wheel assembly 12 with the drive mechanism 15 the chain conveyors 17 are moved in an endless path.

The apparatus 10 has a plurality of sets of holding members pivotally supported on the endless conveyor 16 and each set is designated generally by the reference numeral 20. Each set 20 of holding members of this example is comprised of a pair of forward members 21 and a pair of rear members 22, see FIG. 2, and each member 21 and 22 is supported for pivoting movement on an associated endless chain conveyor 17 and in this example each forward member 21 is pivotally supported by a support or pivot pin 23 and each rear member is pivotally supported by a support pin 24.

The members 21 and 22 also have lower surfaces 25 and 26 respectively which are adapted to engage an associated top control surface 27 of an associated member of a pair of members 30 which are suitably supported by the structural portion 11 of the apparatus 10 so that the members 21 and 22 carried by one chain conveyor 17 engage surface 27 of one member 30 and the members 21 and 22 carried by the other conveyor 17 engage surface 27 of the other member 30. Although in this example a pair of substantially identical spaced members 30 are provided with each member having a comparatively narrow top control surface 27, it will be appreciated that in some applications of this invention a single wide member may be provided which has a comparatively wide top control surface 27 which is engaged by the members 21 and 22 carried by both conveyors 17. As the drive mechanism 15 drives the endless chain conveyors 17 the members 21 and 22 are pivoted about their associated support pins by control surfaces 27 to provide precise positioning of such members.

The apparatus has a sleeve infeed station indicated at 31, a printing station indicated at 32, a drying station indicated at 33, and a packaging station indicated at 34 wherein preassembled sleeve-like members or sleeves 35 are introduced into the apparatus at the infeed station 31 in a flattened condition, printed at the printing station 32, and such printing is dried at the drying station 33. After each sleeve 35 leaves the drying station 33 a set of holding members operatively engages the flattened sleeve and serves to erect or expand such sleeve at the packaging station 34 to enable packaging or insertion of a belt-like article in the form of a V-belt 36 therein in a manner to be described in more detail subsequently.

The flattened tubular sleeves are supported in a rack assembly 37 at the infeed station 31 and the control surfaces 27 engage the lower surfaces 26 of the rear members 22 during movement thereof by their chain conveyors 17 causing pivoting movement of members 22 so that the top portion 40 of each rear member 22 engages a lowermost flattened sleeve as indicated at 41 in FIG. 2 and removes it from the rack assembly 37 by sliding it away from the bottom of the stack of sleeves 35. The control surface 27 then continues to control the positioning of the top portion 40 of the rear lugs 22 so that each flattened carton is carried on the top surfaces of the endless chain conveyors 17 along the apparatus 10.

As each flattened sleeve is moved by the conveyor assembly 16 toward the printing station 32 it energizes a switch assembly shown as an electrical switch 42 which activates the circuit to a printing device or printer 43 provided at the printing station 32. The movement provided by the drive mechanism 15 is an indexing movement so that each flattened sleeve is moved from its rack assembly and stops beneath the printer 43 at the printing station 42. The printer 43 is a conventional printer having a vertically reciprocating printing platen which is moved from an upper position downwardly against the top surface of an associated flattened sleeve 35 positioned thereunder and prints the top surface thereof in a known manner. Once the printing has been achieved, the platen is automatically retracted to its upper position and the drive mechanism 15 drives the conveyor assembly 16 to move the printed sleeve 35 toward the drying station 33.

Any suitable drying means may be used to dry the wet ink on each sleeve 35 and in this example a drying hood 44 is shown and such hood may use any suitable heating means such as heated air which is circulated therethrough and over the printed surface of the printed sleeve 35 or such hood may use electrical heating elements, or the like. The movement of each printed sleeve by conveyor assembly 16 to provide drying thereof may be such that the printed sleeve is indexed into the drying hood 44 and stopped for a predetermined increment to provide drying. However, the movement through drying hood 44 may be continuous whereby the drive mechanism 15 and assembly 16 indexes each sleeve from the printing station 32 directly to the packaging station 34 with the necessary drying being achieved during such movement.

The apparatus 10 has cam means which may be provided adjacent the packaging station 34 as an integral part of each member 30 or as separate members and such cam means in this example of the invention is in the form of a pair of substantially identical cam rods 01' bars 46 each having an inclined surface 47 which inclines upwardly in the direction of movement of the printed and dried sleeves 35, see FIG. 2. The cam bars 46 are suitably supported in spaced parallel relation by the structural portion 11 of the apparatus 10 so that their surfaces 47 precisely position the cam members 21 and 22 as these members are moved thereover whereby each set 20 of members 21 and 22 is cammed by cam bars 46 to open or expand an associated flattened sleeve 35 and hold such sleeve open at the packaging station 34.

Each forward cam member 21 has a cam surface 50 and each rear cam member 22 has a cam pin 51 fixed thereto and an arcuate slot 52 provided therein. As the endless chain conveyors 17 move the members 21 and 22 of a particular set 20 toward the packaging station 34, first the inclined surfaces 50 of forward members 21 engage inclined cam surfaces 47 to cause a corresponding inclination of the forward members 21 and pivoting of these forward members about their pivot pins 23. Continued movement of the chain conveyors 17 causes movement of the forward members 21 of each set 20 so that sleeve supporting surfaces 53 thereof are arranged substantially vertically as the chain conveyors 17 move such members onto a horizontal cam surface 54 comprising the downstream portion of the cam bars 46 and as shown at 55 in FIG. 2.

Similarly, as the rear members 22 of each set 20 of holding members approach cam bars 46 the cam pins 51 of the rear members 22 engage the inclined cam surfaces 47 of the cam bars 46, causing pivoting of the rear cam members 22 about their support pins 24 so that a substantially U-shaped surface 56 of each rear member 22 is positioned with the bight 57 thereof arranged substantially vertically and one side edge portion of an associated sleeve 35 is received in nested relation therewithin and as shown at 58. During this pivoting movement of the rear members 22 it will be appreciated that each of such members moves so that its supporting pin 24 travels along its associated slot 52 and the construction and arrangements of the cam surfaces 47, arcuate slots 52, and members 22 are such that each rear member 22 moves by a compound motion which is comprised of pivoting about its support pin 24 while moving relative to pin 24 as defined by the arcuate surfaces defining the associated cam slot or groove 52.

With the above action, each flattened sleeve is, in effect, erected or expanded so that once it reaches the packaging station 34, it is fully open to its essentially rectangular peripheral outline and its side edges are held between the bight 57 of the U-shaped surfaces of rear members 22 and the vertical surfaces 53 of forward members 21. Thus, the members 21 and 22 of an associated set 20 serve as expanding means as well as holding members for holding an associated sleeve 35 in its expanded position at the packaging station 34. Each sleeve 35 is held open at the packaging station 34 for a suflicient period of time to allow insertion of an associated belt 36 therewithin.

The apparatus 10 includes a device indicated generally by the reference numeral 60 in FIG. 1 for packaging or inserting belts 36 in the tubular sleeves 35 as each sleeve 35 is moved to the packaging station 34 and held open. The device 60 is comprised of an actuator in the form of a fluid cylinder which in this example utilizes air as the operating medium and the cylinder 61 has a longitudinal piston bore 62 which supports an associated piston 63 for axial sliding movement therewithin. The device 60 also has a rod 64 which has one end fixed to the piston 63 and has hook means in the form of a hook 65 provided on the terminal end portion thereof.

The air cylinder 61 is provided with air under regulated pressure from any suitable air source 66 through a conduit 67 which is connected to a four-way valve assembly 70 and the valve assembly 70 has a pair of conduits 71 and 72 connected thereto and to suitable connectors on the air cylinder 61 to enable supplying air to opposite sides of the piston 63. The valve assembly 70 is of known construction and hence will not be described in detail but basically it comprises an electric solenoid operated valve which requires that the solenoid be energized to provide air flow through conduit 71 and thereby urge the piston 63 and rod 64 outwardly through a sleeve 35 held open at the packaging station 34. The valve assembly 70 has spring return means which causes a spool thereof to be returned to an initial position once the solenoid is deenergized whereupon air flow is diverted from conduit 71 to conduit 72 causing rod 64 to be retracted within the air cylinder 61.

The valve assembly 70 may use a suitable adjustable timer or time delay relay in the electrical circuit to its solenoid to assure the rod 64 is held extended for any desired time increment or such solenoid may be operated manually. Further, the valve assembly 70 may in some applications be provided with two electrical solenoids, instead of a single solenoid cooperating with a mechanical compression spring, whereby one solenoid controls extension of rod 64 and the other solenoid controls retraction of such rod.

The packaging of a particular belt 36 is achieved in a simple and efficient manner by extending the rod 64, which is of small cross-sectional area, through a sleeve 35 which is held open at the packaging station 34 whereupon a belt 36 is hooked around the hook 65 thereof. The rod 64 is then retracted within its cylinder 61 which pulls the belt through the sleeve 35.

The device 60 has means for supporting the rod 64 for movement in a substantially rectilinear horizontal path as indicated by the double arrow at 75, see FIG. 3, and in this example such means comprises a bearing assembly 76 which is carried by a cam shoe 80 supported adjacent the main housing for the air cylinder 61 on a pair of supports 77 and the cam shoe also serves as means for automatically releasing each belt 36 once it has been pulled or inserted the required distance through an associated open sleeve 35. The releasing device or cam shoe 80 has a pair of top inclined surfaces 81 which incline upwardly away fromthe rectilinear path 75 in the direction of retracting movement of the rod 64.

The inclined surfaces 81 serve to cam the forward portion of each belt 36 as it is moved theretoward by the rod 64 during retraction thereof, see (FIGS. 3 and 4, so that during the final increment of retraction movement of rod 64 shown in FIG. 4 the forward portion of the belt 36 rides upwardly along the inclined cam surfaces 81 and the hook 65 of such rod continues beneath or inwardly of the inclined plane of the surface 81 as shown by dotted lines at 82 whereupon the belt 36 is automatically released.

The supports 77 comprise a pair of elongated rods which maybe fixed to the housing portion of cylinder 61 and each support has an elongated slot 83 provided therein which is adapted to receive an associated supporting pin or threaded bolt 84 therethrough. Each bolt 84 is threadedly fastened within a cooperating threaded opening in the cam shoe 80 to enable adjusting and fixing the cam shoe at an infinite number of positions along a path substantially parallel to the rectilinear path 75. The slots 83 and bolts 84 enable the cam shoe 80 and its inclined cam surfaces 81 to be moved to accommodate belts having different diameters.

The apparatus may be provided with a suitable control panel 85 provided with buttons which control suitable control switches in the form of on-off buttons and the control panel is supplied with electrical power from a pair of lines L and L Electrical connections are provided in any suitable way known in the art from the control panel 8-5 to the solenoids of the valve assembly, printing mechanism 43, the controls for the drying hood or tunnel 44, the electric motor 86 which comprises the drive mechanism 15, etc.

The drive mechanism comprises an indexing assembly 87 operatively connected to the motor 86 and to the extension shaft 14 extending from shaft 13 of the driving sprocket wheel assembly 12. The indexing movement may be provided by suitable automatic control means including a programmer in a manner well known in the art so that the movement between the various stations will be -provided automatically by actuating a single button 90 after actuating the main power switch in the form of a button 91, The automatic control means is such that once a particular belt reaches the packaging station the actuator or air cylinder 61 is automatically energized and goes through its complete cycle before the conveyor assembly again indexes another sleeve into position at the packaging station. It will be appreciated that, if desired, each indexing movement of the conveyor assembly 16 may be provided manually by an operator actuating a switch or button on the control panel or a foot pedal to provide a given predetermined increment of indexing movement, as desired.

With the apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 an operator stands by a worktable 92 which supports a plurality of endless belts 36 in Vertically stacked relation and as the rod 64 is moved into position through an associated open sleeve 35 the operator merely hooks a belt 36 over the hook 65 and allows such belt to be pulled through the sleeve in the manner previously described. To assure that each belt 36 is pulled through an open sleeve 35 at the packing station 34 with a minimum likelihood of damage to such sleeve, and particularly the opposed parallel sides thereof, during the process of compressing a particular belt 36 from a circular configuration to an elongated oval configuration, a pair of vertical guide plates may be suitably supported in position so that the plates 93 serve to funnel or cam the circular belt 36 to a narrow dimension which it will easily fit the open sleeve 35.

In the above presentation an operator is described as manually loading a belt 36 onto the hook 65 once such hook is extended into position. However, it will be appreciated that loading of the belts 36 may be achieved in a substantially automatic manner by an automatic belt dispenser 94 as illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings. In the dispenser 94 a plurality of belts are supported on a pair of arm assemblies each designated by the reference numeral 95 and the arm assemblies 95 are supported by a supporting structure 96 which is carried by a horizontal arm 97 fixed to a vertical supporting post 100. The belts 36 are easily loaded from the bottom of the automatic belt-loading assembly 9 4- by constructing one of the arm assemblies 95 so that it may be moved inwardly toward the other arm assembly 95 in any manner known in the art whereupon a plurality of belts may be vertically stacked one on top of the other and supported on lower supporting fingers 101 of the arm assemblies 95.

The detailed mechanical linkages comprising the arm assemblies 95 and the operation of such arm assemblies are well known. The operation is similar to the operation of arm assemblies on ordinary record changers used to automatically drop playing records on a turntable whereby the construction and operation of the arm assemblies 95 will not be described in detail.

The operation of the automatic belt dispenser 94 is such that once the rod 64 extends its hook 65 outwardly the arm assemblies 95 automatically rotate in a simultaneous manner to rotate fingers 101 within the diameter of the belts 36 allowing the lowermost belt supported directly on fingers 101 to drop around hook 65 while simultaneously an upper set of cooperating fingers 102 of the assemblies 95 rotate outwardly to support the remaining belts 36 vertically thereabove whereupon the fingers 102 again rotate inwardly releasing the entire stack of belts on the lower fingers 101. The vertical spacing between a pair of adjacent fingers 101 and 102 corresponds to the vertical thickness of a particular belt 36 whereby a single belt is dispensed at a time during each cycling movement of the fingers 101 and 102.

To reduce the amount of friction acting on the inside surfaces of the stacked belts 36, the automatic belt dispensing apparatus 9 4 is shown as having a plurality of four corners 103 which provide a reduced surface area which is contacted by the inside surfaces of the belts. Further, to assure that the belts move smoothly along the vertical edges 103 an annular weight 104 may be provided at the top of the stack of belts 36 in the dispenser 94.

The dispenser '94 may be of the type which is readily installed and removed from its horizontal supporting arm 97 and may be provided with suitable means for changing the construction and arrangement of the arm assemblies 95 with their associated fingers 101 and 102 to accommodate belts of different sizes to enable the guide surfaces 103 to be changed to also accommodate belts of different diameters.

The control system provided for the apparatus 10 may be initially modified to incorporate the belt dispensing apparatus 94 so that the entire operation of printing preassembled sleeves 35, drying such sleeves, and inserting or packaging belts 36 in associated sleeves 35 is accomplished in an automatic manner with the operator merely assuring that the rack assembly 37 is always full of fiattened sleeves 35 and the assembly 94 is full of belts 36 to be packaged.

It will also be appreciated that in addition to the switch 42 which assures that the printer 43 is only energized when a sleeve engages switch 42, suitable control means may also be provided to assure that a belt 36 will not be dropped by the automatic belt dispensing device 94 and the cylinder 61 will not extend its rod 64, etc., under conditions where a sleeve is not held in position at the packaging station 34.

In this presentation of the invention various power supplies, connections, etc., have not been shown to the printer, drying hood, and other components of the apparatus 10; however, it is to be understood that these supplies and connections may be provided in any suitable manner known in the art.

While present exemplary embodiments of this invention,

and methods of practicing the same, have been illustrated and described, it will be recognized that this invention may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for packaging endless belts in tubular sleeves, said device comprising an actuator having a rod which is supported for reciprocating movement in a substantially rectilinear path through an associated sleeve held open at a packaging station and hook means provided on the terminal end portion of said rod, said actuator operating to extend its rod through said open sleeve enabling hooking of an associated belt on said hook means and operating to retract said rod to pull the associated belt through said sleeve, and a device engaging and automatically releasing an associated belt from said hook means during a final increment of retracting movement of said rod.

2. A device for packaging endless belts in tubular sleeves, said device comprising an actuator having a rod which is supported for reciprocating movement in a substantially rectilinear path through an associated sleeve held open at a packaging station, hook means provided on the terminal end portion of said rod, said actuator operating to extend its rod through said open sleeve enabling hooking of an associated belt on said hook means and operating to retract said rod to pull the associated belt through said sleeve, and means for automatically releasing said belt, said releasing means comprising an inclined surface which inclines away from said rectilinear path and serves to cam the forward edge of said belt away from said hook means during a final increment of the retracting movement of said rod.

3. A device for packaging endless belts in tubular sleeves, said device comprising an actuator having a rod which is supported for reciprocating movement in a substantially rectilinear path through an associated sleeve held open at a packaging station, hook means provided on the terminal end portion of said rod, said actuator operating to extend its rod through said open sleeve enabling hooking of an associated belt on said hook means and operating to retract said rod to pull the associated belt through said sleeve, said actuator comprising a fluid cylinder having a piston bore and a piston supported for axial movement within said bore, said rod having one end thereof fixed to said piston, means for supplying fluid to said cylinder to enable said rod to be extended and retracted, and a cam shoe having a top inclined surface which inclines upwardly away from said rectilinear path in the direction of retracting movement of said rod, said top inclined surface serving to cam the forward portion of said belt away from said hook means during a final increment of the retracting movement of said rod to thereby provide automatic release of said belt from said hook means.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3 and further comprising a support for supporting said cam shoe at an infinite number of positions along a path substantially parallel to said rectilinear path to accommodate belts having different diameters and means for detachably fixing said cam shoe at any one of said positions.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 in which said fluid cylinder comprises an air cylinder.

6. An apparatus for packaging endless belts in tubular sleeves comprising, an endless conveyor, means for supplying sleeves onto said conveyor, means comprising said conveyor for automatically opening and holding said sleeves open at a packaging station, an actuator supported adjacent said packaging station, said actuator having a rod which is supported for reciprocating movement in a substantially rectilinear path through an associated sleeve held open by said holding means at said packaging station, hook means provided on the terminal end portion of said rod, said actuator operating to extend its rod through said open sleeve enabling hooking of an associated belt on said hook means and operating to retract said rod to pull the associated belt through said sleeve, and a device engaging and automatically releasing an associated belt from said hook means during a final increment of retracting movement of said rod.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which said supplying means comprises a rack assembly which supports a plurality of sleeves in an upright manner.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which said supplying means comprises a rack assembly which supports a plurality of flattened sleeves in vertically stacked relation, said holding means comprises a plurality of sets of holding members each pivotally supported on said conveyor and being movable therewith, with each set having at least one forward member and one rear member and each member having a lower surface, a control surface supported at a fixed position beneath said members, said control surface being engaged by the lower surface of each rear member causing pivoting movement thereof so that a top portion of each rear member engages a lowermost flattened sleeve and removes it from said rack assembly, and cam means adjacent said packaging station, said cam means being engaged by component portions of said members during movement of said members thereover so that the members of each set are moved toward each other to compress the outer edges of an associated fiattened sleeve supported therebetween toward each other and thereby open said sleeve to enable insertion of an associated belt therethrough. I

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which said endless conveyor comprises an endless chain conveyor assembly.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 and further comprising means for printing each of said sleeves at a printing station provided along said endless conveyor.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 10 and further comprising means for drying printing provided on each sleeve at said printing station.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 and further comprising means for automatically dispensing endless belts around said hook means at said packaging station, said dispensing means being operatively connected in said apparatus to provide an associated endless belt around said hook means once it is extended through an open sleeve.

13. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which said endless conveyor comprises a chain conveyor assembly, said supplying means comprises a rack assembly which supports a plurality of flattened sleeves in vertically stacked relation, said holding means comprises a plurality of sets of holding members each pivotally supported on said conveyor assembly and being movable therewith, with each set having a pair of forward members and a pair of rear members and each member having a lower surface, a control surface supported at a fixed position beneath said members, said control surface being engaged by the lower surface of each rear member causing pivoting movement thereof so that a top portion of each rear member engages a lowermost flattened sleeve and removes it from said rack assembly, cam means adjacent said packaging station, said cam means being engaged by component portions of said members during movement of said members thereover so that the members of each set are moved toward each other to compress the outer edges of an associated flattened sleeve supported therebetween toward each other and thereby open said sleeve to enable insertion of an associated belt therethrough, and means for automatically dispensing endless belts around said hook means at said packaging station, said dispensing means being operatively connected in said apparatus to provide an associated endless belt onto said hook means once it is extended through an open sleeve.

14. A method of packaging endless belts comprising the steps of, holding a tubular sleeve open at a packaging station with associated holding means, inserting an elongated member having hook means at its terminal end through said open sleeve, hooking an associated belt to be packaged over said hook means, retracting said elongated member to pull at least a portion of said associated belt hooked on said hook means through said sleeve, and automatically releasing said associated belt from said hook means by engaging a forward portion thereof against a releasing device during a final increment of retracting movement of said elongated member.

15. A method as set forth in claim 14 in which said inserting step comprises extending said member in the form of an elongated rod in a substantially rectilinear path through said open sleeve, said retracting step comprises retracting said rod along said rectilinear path, and said step of automatically releasing said belt from said hook means comprises engaging and camming said belt away from said hook means and said rectilinear path with a fixed cam supported adjacent said packaging station.

16. A method as set forth in claim 14 and comprising the further steps of conveying preassembled flattened tubular sleeves on an endless conveyor toward said packaging station and automatically opening each sleeve as it reaches said packaging station using said associated holding means.

17. A method as se forth in claim 16 and comprising the further step of automatically providing an endless belt on said hook means following said inserting step.

18. A method as set forth in claim 16 and further comprising the step of automatically printing each of said sleeves at a printing station provided along said endless conveyor while each sleeve is in its preassembled fiattened condition.

19. A method as set forth in claim 18 and further comprising the step of drying printing provided on each sleeve at said printing station, said drying being provided by means arranged adjacent said endless conveyor to provide said drying as each printed sleeve is moved past said drying means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,720,055 10/ 1955 Morris 53255 X 2,410,015 10/1946 Cook 53-13 X 3,138,076 6/1964 Lobdell 53-186 X 2,901,126 8/1959 Halberstadt 2141 BB FOREIGN PATENTS 709,434 5/1954 Great Britain 53-198 B THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner N. ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner US. 01. X.R 53-14, 131, 198 R, 253 

